Crock Pot bbq pulled chicken is a family-friendly meal that only requires about 5 minutes of prep. The sweet and savory meat is delicious with cornbread, biscuits, mac and cheese, collard greens, or coleslaw!
Table of Contents
- How to Make this BBQ Pulled Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe | 1-Minute Video
- Why You’ll Love this Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- What to Know Before You Get Started
- How to Make Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken
- Serving Suggestions
- Preparation and Storage Tips
- Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken Recipe
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Recipe Variations
If you’re looking for even more Crock Pot chicken recipes, try this Crock Pot chicken stew, slow cooker chicken and gravy, and Crock Pot garlic sesame brown sugar chicken!
This was DELICIOUS. The best BBQ chicken I have ever made. I served this with your baked bean recipe and it was a huge hit!
– Rachel
How to Make this BBQ Pulled Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Why You’ll Love this Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- Easy. This crockpot BBQ chicken recipe is one of my go-to dinner options on busy weeknights when I don’t have time to cook. All you need to do is dump the simple ingredients into the pot and go!
- Bold Flavor. Some slow cooker dinners become watered down as a result of the condensation in the pot. Not here! The bbq sauce is thick, rich, zesty, and full of flavor.
- Versatile. Serve the tender, juicy, fall-apart pulled BBQ chicken on a barbecue chicken sandwich, a cob salad, a taco, BBQ chicken nachos, or your favorite veggies and sides. You can even use the pulled chicken on a flatbread BBQ chicken pizza!
What to Know Before You Get Started
- I like a thick bbq sauce for this dish (such as Sweet Baby Ray’s) so that it doesn’t get too watery and thin in the slow cooker. Feel free to use your favorite BBQ sauce.
- Dark brown sugar adds great molasses flavor, but light brown sugar will also be fine. This adds sweetness but also helps to thicken the sauce.
- You’ll need about 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs. The dark meat thighs tend to stay juicier over the long cooking time, but either option is great.
- Every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature (which is why the recipe gives you general time ranges rather than exact times). Since my slow cooker tends to cook at a relatively high temperature, I find that the meal is best when cooked on HIGH for about 2 hours or on LOW for about 4 hours. That keeps the chicken moist and juicy, and prevents it from drying out. The meat is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Just get familiar with your pot and adjust accordingly.
How to Make Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken
This idea came from my sister-in-law, who made a similar dinner when we were visiting over a decade ago. With many small children to keep track of, it was an ideal way to get a tasty, easy meal on the table without spending too much time in the kitchen. Here are the quick steps to make this easy crockpot BBQ pulled chicken recipe:
- Whisk together the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, olive oil, and seasoning in a slow cooker.
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken to the Crock Pot and spoon some of the sauce over the meat.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- Shred the meat with two forks. You can either shred the chicken right in the crockpot or remove it from the slow cooker and shred it in a large bowl or on a cutting board. Another easy way to shred chicken is with a hand mixer. Put the cooked chicken in a bowl and use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer on low speed.
- Return the pulled chicken to the slow cooker, stir with the sauce, and then serve as BBQ chicken sandwiches or on its own. Good toppings include shredded cheese (like cheddar, Pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack), veggies (like sliced red onions, pickles, jalapeno slices, or fried onions), extra sauce (such as BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, mustard, or mayo), and always coleslaw (both creamy traditional coleslaw and tangy vinegar coleslaw are great).
Serving Suggestions
Pile the shredded chicken on hamburger buns, use it on pizza, nachos, tacos, salad, or offer the tender, flavorful meat on its own with your favorite side dishes. It’s also a great recipe to use for meal prep, as you can make a large batch at once and it stores well.
We love bbq pulled chicken alongside baked potatoes, Duke’s homemade mac and cheese, Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn, creamy pasta salad, this dump-and-bake vegetable casserole with rice, a green bean casserole with frozen green beans, an iceberg wedge salad, or Arkansas green beans, or homemade baked beans with bacon.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: Leftover BBQ chicken will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To extend the life of your pulled chicken, store the leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Freezer Meal: You can also freeze the raw ingredients together in a large Ziploc freezer bag if you’re prepping a batch of freezer meals. Thaw the bag in the refrigerator overnight, and then dump everything from the bag into a slow cooker when you’re ready to cook the meat.
- How to Reheat: Place the cooked chicken and extra barbecue sauce in a saucepan on the stovetop. Cover with a lid and warm over low heat, just until the meat reaches the desired temperature (stirring regularly). You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave for about 1 minute.
I have the world’s pickiest boyfriend. Made this for him after a long ER shift & he couldn’t get enough! New favorite here!!
– Jayme
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's brand)
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional, for serving: coleslaw, sandwich buns, pickles
Instructions
- In a large slow cooker, whisk together the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, smoked paprika, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and spoon some of the sauce over top. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- Shred the chicken with two forks. Stir the meat back into the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve on sandwich buns or with your favorite sides.
Notes
Nutrition
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Recipe Variations
- Use your favorite homemade BBQ sauce in this recipe rather than the store-bought version. This maple bbq sauce is my personal fav!
- Add extra flavor, like a Hawaiian twist with crushed pineapple and juice, or a spicier version with chipotle and peppers.
- Serving a larger group? Double all of the ingredients. (Keep in mind the capacity of your slow cooker.)
- Make it spicy by adding some cayenne pepper to the spices.
- If you love bbq, don’t miss these easy bbq meatballs, too!
- Instant Pot method: my root beer barbecue chicken recipe is my favorite recipe for bbq chicken in the Instant Pot.
More Crock Pot Chicken Recipes
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Crock Pot Chicken and Rice
4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Crock Pot Chicken Corn Chowder
3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in September, 2019. It was updated in November, 2024.
Love slow cooker meals Blair and this one looks fabulous – pinned!
Thanks, Trish! I hope that you all love it!
I have a pork butt roast in the freezer would that work for this recipe? If so, I’m assuming would need to double bbq ingredients the roast weighs 3.83lbs.
It should work! You will likely need to adjust the cooking time a bit, and yes we would recommend doubling the ingredients.
This was DELICIOUS. The best BBQ chicken I have ever made. I served this with your baked bean recipe and it was a huge hit!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Rachel. Thank you!
This was delicious! It says to spoon “some” of the sauce over the chicken in the crockpot. What do you recommend doing with the rest of the sauce? Thank you!
Hi Donna,
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! We love to save the rest of the sauce to serve on the side for those who prefer more sauce or as a dip.
Going to make this for the Super Bowl looks super yummy! I see you note if you want to make spicy add cayenne. How much would you add to a single batch?
You can use as little or as much as you want, depending on how spicy you want your chicken! We recommend starting with 1 teaspoon, and adjusting it as needed.
I have the worlds pickiest boyfriend. Made this for him after a long ER shift & he couldn’t get enough! New favorite here!! Thank you, Blair 🙂
Amazing! I’m so happy to hear that!
Can you mix breasts and thighs for this recipe?
We don’t see why not!
Can I use sugar free bbq sauce in this? I’m watching my sugar intake.
Hi, Susan! Yes, that should work well. You can also reduce the brown sugar or use a substitute such as the Swerve brown sugar. Hope you enjoy the meal!
This was fantastic! I love the Pulled Chicken at Mission BBQ, and this topped theirs.
I used half chicken breast, half thighs, and flash fried them first in some tallow.
Will definitely make again!
Thank you, Renee! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!! My two teenage sons love it! It’s a delicious and quick meal to assemble. I often make it during busy weeks, especially now that we’re back to school.
Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review, Dawn! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.